Systems and methods for navigating program listings in a media guidance application

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for navigating program listings in a media guidance application are provided. A program listing may be displayed that corresponds to a first time period. A user request to change the first time period may be received. In response to the request to change the time period, a hopscotch display may be provided that gives the user access to a plurality of consecutive time periods from which the user can select to have corresponding program listings displayed. A user selection of one of the displayed time periods may be received and a second program listing corresponding to the selected time period may be displayed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/288,123, filed Dec. 18, 2009 which ishereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typical systems display program listings for a particular time interval.In order for a user to access previous or future program listings, theuser must repeatedly scroll through the program listings for adjacenttime intervals until the program listings for the desired time intervalare displayed. Thus, navigating to program listings that are hours ordays away from the currently displayed time interval is a tediousprocess.

Blonstein et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,933 discusses one solution to thisproblem by providing a “more times” display allowing the user to selecta particular time instance in the future for which to display programlistings. However, the “more times” display in the Blonstein systemprovides the user with a particular set of preselected times from whichthe user can choose and therefore limits the user's ability to viewprogram listings for any given time period.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, systems and methods for navigating programlistings in a media guidance application are provided. In particular, ahopscotch display is provided that displays a plurality of indicatorsthat represent time periods that the user can select to havecorresponding program listings displayed.

In some embodiments, a user request to display a plurality of programlistings corresponding to a user selected time period is received. Inparticular, a user may select a hopscotch icon from a program listingsdisplay to instruct control circuitry to change the time period that isdisplayed. The control circuitry may in response to receiving therequest, provide a hopscotch display that includes a first plurality ofindicators that represent a first plurality of time periods (e.g., daysof the week) and a second plurality of indicators that represent asecond plurality of time periods (e.g., hours within a given day). Thesecond plurality of time periods are subsets of the first plurality oftime periods. The hopscotch display allows the user to navigate to andselect any time period for which to display program listings. In someimplementations, the second plurality of time indicators are displayedas the user navigates from one of the first plurality of time periods toanother.

In some implementations, only one instance of the second plurality ofindicators is displayed at a time. In particular, only the secondplurality of indicators that correspond to one of the first plurality ofindicators may be displayed at a time. More specifically, when a firstof the first plurality of indicators is selected (e.g., Monday), onlythe second plurality of indicators (e.g., subsets of hours within theday Monday) for the selected first of the first plurality of indicatorsmay be displayed. That is, the second plurality of indicators are notdisplayed for any of the first plurality of indicators that are notselected at given time.

In some embodiments, the control circuitry may monitor the user inputand automatically provide the hopscotch display. In particular, thecontrol circuitry may determine whether a plurality of identical userinputs have been received a predetermined number of times. The identicaluser inputs may correspond to identical instructions to shift or slidethe display to display a plurality of program listings for another timeperiod adjacent to the displayed time period. After a predeterminednumber of times of being instructed to shift or slide the display to anadjacent time period, the control circuitry may automatically providethe hopscotch display to allow the user to select any time period in thefuture or past.

In some embodiments, the first and second plurality of indicators in thehopscotch display may include cells. The cells of the first plurality ofindicators may correspond to days of the week and the cells of thesecond plurality of indicators may correspond to hours within aparticular day of the week. A user selection of one of the displayedtime periods may be received. The control circuitry may display aplurality of program listings corresponding to the time period selectedby the user from the hopscotch display.

In some embodiments, as the user navigates between cells in hopscotchthat represent different days of the week, the control circuitry maydisplay actions or event that have been scheduled for the particularday. In particular, as the user navigates a cursor from a cellrepresenting the day, Tuesday, to the cell representing the day, Monday,the control circuitry may retrieve and display indicators that identifyto the user the reminders or recordings previously scheduled for the dayrepresented by the highlighted cell, Monday. In some implementations,the user may select the indicators identifying particular scheduledactions or events to allow the user to modify the scheduled action orevent.

In some embodiments, a video of a program may be displayedsimultaneously with a first program listing corresponding to a firsttime period. The program listing may be overlaid on top of the video andmay be partially transparent to allow the user to see the videosimultaneously with the program listing. A user request to display asecond program listing corresponding to a second time period may bereceived. In response to receiving the user request, a hopscotch displaythat includes plurality of alternate time periods may be displayed. Insome implementations, the hopscotch display is displayed simultaneouslywith the program listing and the video of the program. The hopscotchdisplay may be partially transparent to allow the user to see the videoof the program simultaneously with the hopscotch display.

In some embodiments, the control circuitry may monitor the user input asthe user navigates through the program listings displayed with the videoof the program and automatically provide the hopscotch display. Inparticular, the control circuitry may determine whether a plurality ofidentical user inputs have been received a predetermined number oftimes.

The identical user inputs may correspond to identical instructions toshift or slide the display to display program listings for adjacent timeperiods. After a predetermined number of times of being instructed toshift or slide the display to an adjacent time period, the controlcircuitry may automatically display the hopscotch display simultaneouslywith the program listing and the video of the program to allow the userto select any time period in the future or past.

In some embodiments, the hopscotch display may replace the programlisting being displayed with the video of the program. A user selectionof one of the displayed alternate time periods in the hopscotch displayis received. The second program listing corresponding to the selectedone of the alternate time periods is displayed simultaneously with thevideo of the program.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencecharacters refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGS. 1 a-b and 2 show illustrative display screens that may be used toprovide media guidance application listings in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative user equipment device in accordance withanother embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an illustrative cross-platform interactive mediasystem in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative display for providing media guidanceapplication listings simultaneously with video of a program inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative hopscotch display in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 7 and 8 show an illustrative hopscotch display in accordance withan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative display of event modification prompt inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram for navigating a media guidanceapplication in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This invention generally relates to systems and methods for navigatingprogram listings in a media guidance application. In particular, systemsand methods are provided for allowing a user to select any future orpast time period for which to display program listings.

The amount of media available to users in any given media deliverysystem can be substantial. Consequently, many users desire a form ofmedia guidance through an interface that allows users to efficientlynavigate media selections and easily identify media that they maydesire. An application which provides such guidance is referred toherein as an interactive media guidance application or, sometimes, amedia guidance application or a guidance application.

Interactive media guidance applications may take various forms dependingon the media for which they provide guidance. One typical type of mediaguidance application is an interactive television program guide.Interactive television program guides (sometimes referred to aselectronic program guides) are well-known guidance applications that,among other things, allow users to navigate among and locate many typesof media content including conventional television programming (providedvia traditional broadcast, cable, satellite, Internet, or other means),as well as pay-per-view programs, on-demand programs (as invideo-on-demand (VOD) systems), Internet content (e.g., streaming media,downloadable media, Webcasts, etc.), and other types of media or videocontent. Guidance applications also allow users to navigate among andlocate content related to the video content including, for example,video clips, articles, advertisements, chat sessions, games, etc.Guidance applications also allow users to navigate among and locatemultimedia content. The term multimedia is defined herein as media andcontent that utilizes at least two different content forms, such astext, audio, still images, animation, video, and interactivity contentforms. Multimedia content may be recorded and played, displayed oraccessed by information content processing devices, such as computerizedand electronic devices, but can also be part of a live performance. Itshould be understood that the invention embodiments that are discussedin relation to media content are also applicable to other types ofcontent, such as video, audio and/or multimedia.

With the advent of the Internet, mobile computing, and high-speedwireless networks, users are accessing media on personal computers (PCs)and other devices on which they traditionally did not, such as hand-heldcomputers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile telephones, orother mobile devices. On these devices users are able to navigate amongand locate the same media available through a television. Consequently,media guidance is necessary on these devices, as well. The guidanceprovided may be for media content available only through a television,for media content available only through one or more of these devices,or for media content available both through a television and one or moreof these devices. The media guidance applications may be provided ason-line applications (i.e., provided on a web-site), or as stand-aloneapplications or clients on hand-held computers, PDAs, mobile telephones,or other mobile devices. The various devices and platforms that mayimplement media guidance applications are described in more detailbelow.

One of the functions of the media guidance application is to providemedia listings and media information to users. FIGS. 1-2 showillustrative display screens that may be used to provide media guidance,and in particular media listings. The display screens shown in FIGS. 1-2and 5-9 may be implemented on any suitable device or platform. While thedisplays of FIGS. 1 a-b-2 and 5-9 are illustrated as full screendisplays, they may also be fully or partially overlaid over mediacontent being displayed. A user may indicate a desire to access mediainformation by selecting a selectable option provided in a displayscreen (e.g., a menu option, a listings option, an icon, a hyperlink,etc.) or pressing a dedicated button (e.g., a GUIDE button) on a remotecontrol or other user input interface or device. In response to theuser's indication, the media guidance application may provide a displayscreen with media information organized in one of several ways, such asby time and channel in a grid, by time, by channel, by media type, bycategory (e.g., movies, sports, news, children, or other categories ofprogramming), or other predefined, user-defined, or other organizationcriteria.

FIG. 1 a shows illustrative grid program listings display 100 arrangedby time and channel that also enables access to different types of mediacontent in a single display. Display 100 may include grid 102 with: (1)a column of channel/media type identifiers 104, where each channel/mediatype identifier (which is a cell in the column) identifies a differentchannel or media type available; and (2) a row of time identifiers 106,where each time identifier (which is a cell in the row) identifies atime block of programming. The length of time indicated by thecombination of time identifiers 106 is referred to as a time period.Grid 102 also includes cells of program listings, such as programlisting 108, where each listing provides the title of the programprovided on the listing's associated channel and time. In someembodiments, the time period displayed in grid 102 covers a three hourtime interval. In particular, the first set of program listings 108displayed in grid 102 correspond to a three hour time period or windowof time. Any other time period (or time interval) may be displayed ingrid 102 limited only by the physical constraints of the device used todisplay the program listings. For example, when using a handheld device,a smaller time period (e.g., one hour) may be more suitable as the fontsize must be made to fit within the physical constraints of the displayof the handheld device. Accordingly, when using a handheld device, grid102 may display program listings 108 for one hour time periods.

With a user input device, a user can select program listings by movinghighlight region 110. Information relating to the program listingselected by highlight region 110 may be provided in program informationregion 112. Region 112 may include, for example, the program title, theprogram description, the time the program is provided (if applicable),the channel the program is on (if applicable), the program's rating, andother desired information.

In addition to providing access to linear programming provided accordingto a schedule, the media guidance application also provides access tonon-linear programming which is not provided according to a schedule.Non-linear programming may include content from different media sourcesincluding on-demand media content (e.g., VOD), Internet content (e.g.,streaming media, downloadable media, etc.), locally stored media content(e.g., video content stored on a digital video recorder (DVR), digitalvideo disc (DVD), video cassette, compact disc (CD), etc.), or othertime-insensitive media content. On-demand content may include bothmovies and original media content provided by a particular mediaprovider (e.g., HBO On Demand providing “The Sopranos” and “Curb YourEnthusiasm”). HBO ON DEMAND is a service mark owned by Time WarnerCompany L. P. et al. and THE SOPRANOS and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM aretrademarks owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. Internet content mayinclude web events, such as a chat session or Webcast, or contentavailable on-demand as streaming media or downloadable media through anInternet web site or other Internet access (e.g. FTP).

Grid 102 may provide listings for non-linear programming includingon-demand listing 114, recorded media listing 116, and Internet contentlisting 118. A display combining listings for content from differenttypes of media sources is sometimes referred to as a “mixed-media”display. The various permutations of the types of listings that may bedisplayed that are different than display 100 may be based on userselection or guidance application definition (e.g., a display of onlyrecorded and broadcast listings, only on-demand and broadcast listings,etc.). As illustrated, listings 114, 116, and 118 are shown as spanningthe entire time block or time period displayed in grid 102 to indicatethat selection of these listings may provide access to a displaydedicated to on-demand listings, recorded listings, or Internetlistings, respectively. In other embodiments, listings for these mediatypes may be included directly in grid 102. Additional listings may bedisplayed in response to the user selecting one of the navigationalicons 120. (Pressing an arrow key on a user input device may affect thedisplay in a similar manner as selecting navigational icons 120.)

For example, the user may select right icon 120 or press the right arrowkey on the user input device to cause the media guidance application todisplay a time period adjacent to the displayed time period. Inparticular, the user may navigate cursor 110 to the last listingdisplayed in grid 102 (e.g., Joe Millionaire). When cursor 110 ispositioned over the last listing displayed in grid 102 and the userpresses the right arrow key on the user input device, the media guidanceapplication may slide into the display a second set of program listingscorresponding to a time period adjacent to the displayed time period.More specifically, the media guidance application, upon receiving theuser input of the right arrow key, may retrieve and display programlistings for the time period 10:00 PM-12:00 AM (e.g., the next adjacenttime period to the time period 7-9 PM currently displayed) as shown inFIG. 1 b. In particular, display 100 b in FIG. 1 b shows cursor 110positioned over the first program listing (e.g., Joe Millionaire)corresponding time indicator 10:00 PM. Display 100 b shows programlistings corresponding to a second time period 510 which spans the timeinterval 10:00 PM-12:00 AM.

In some implementations, the media guidance application may retrieve anddisplay the program listings corresponding to the next adjacent timeindicator 106 instead of the program listings corresponding to theentire time period. In such circumstances, the earliest displayed timeindicator 106 (e.g., 7:00 PM) is shifted out of the display and the nextadjacent time indicator 106 (e.g., 10:00 PM) is shifted into the displaywith the corresponding program listings for that time (e.g., 10:00 PM).

In some embodiments, display 100 includes a hopscotch option 140.Selection of hopscotch option 140 may cause the media guidanceapplication to slide into the display a hopscotch display 600 or 700(FIG. 6 or 7). Hopscotch displays 600 and 700 allow the user to selectany past or future time period to cause the media guidance applicationto display program listings in grid 102 corresponding to the selectedtime period. Hopscotch displays 600 and 700 and their associatedfunctionality are discussed in more detail below in connection withFIGS. 6-9.

In some embodiments, hopscotch option 140 may be selected by the user bypressing a dedicated button on user input device. In some embodiments,hopscotch option 140 may be selected by navigating cursor 110 to thelisting displayed at an outer edge of grid 102 (e.g., the right edge)and pressing a right arrow key on the user input device. Cursor 110 maybe positioned over hopscotch option 140 and may cause hopscotch display600 or 700 to be provided when the user presses a SELECT key on the userinput device. When cursor 110 is positioned over hopscotch option 140and the user presses a directional arrow key (e.g., right arrow key whenthe hopscotch option 140 is provided on the right edge of grid 102) onthe user input device, the media guidance application may display theprogram listings for the next adjacent time period (e.g., the programlistings for the time period 10-12 AM or the program listings for thenext time indicator 10 PM).

In some embodiments, after the user presses the right arrow key on theuser input device (e.g., after control circuitry receives an identicaluser input) a predetermined number of times (e.g., 3 times), the mediaguidance application may automatically slide into the display hopscotchdisplay 600 or 700. In particular, the media guidance application maypredict based on the user's behavior and interactions that the userdesires to access or view program listings for programs broadcast hoursor days in the future. Accordingly, to reduce the burden on the user ofpressing the right arrow key using the user input device until thedesired program listings are displayed, the media guidance applicationautomatically (i.e., without further user input) provides hopscotchdisplay 600 or 700 to allow the user to quickly and easily jump to thedesired time period.

It should be understood that the identical user input may be receivedconsecutively or may be interspersed between other user inputs. Morespecifically, the identical user inputs that are received apredetermined number of times correspond to identical instructions thatare received a predetermined number of times. For example, the user maynavigate a program guide and transmit an instruction to the controlcircuitry to shift or slide into the display program listings for anadjacent (previous or future) second time period. After the programlistings for the adjacent time period are displayed, the user maynavigate among those program listings by transmitting instructions tomove cursor 110 up/down/left/right within the displayed programlistings. The user may then issue another instruction to display anotherset of program listings for a third time period (previous or future)adjacent to the currently displayed time period. This instruction isidentical to the instruction previously transmitted to the controlcircuitry for displaying the program listings for the second timeperiod. Accordingly, when the predetermined number of times is twice,the control circuitry may automatically, upon receiving the userinstruction to display the program listings for the third time period,provide the hopscotch display. This is the case even though the userprovided other instructions between the identical instructions todisplay program listings for an adjacent time period.

For example, the user may be viewing the program listings for a firsttime period 7-9 PM and may press the right arrow icon 120 or the rightarrow key on the user input device to cause the media guidanceapplication to slide into the display the program listings for a secondtime period (e.g., 10 PM-12 AM). After the control circuitry receivesthe user input and instructs the media guidance application to slideinto the display the program listings for the second time period, theuser may select the right arrow icon 120 or press the right arrow key onthe user input device again to cause the media guidance application toslide into the display the program listings for a third time period(e.g., 1 AM-3 AM). When the user now selects the right arrow icon 120 orpresses the right arrow key on the user input device again to cause themedia guidance application to slide into the display program listingsfor a fourth time period (e.g., 4 AM-6 AM), the media guidanceapplication may automatically slide or bring into the display hopscotchdisplay 600 or 700 (FIG. 6 or 7) instead of displaying the desiredprogram listings for the fourth time period.

In some implementations, the media guidance application may provide aprompt (not shown) to the user asking whether the user would like toaccess hopscotch display 600 or 700 before displaying the desiredprogram listings for the fourth time period. When the user confirms thedesire to access the hopscotch display, the media guidance applicationmay slide or bring into the display hopscotch display 600 or 700otherwise the media guidance application may display the programlistings for the fourth time period. The above example illustrated thesituation where the media guidance application automatically providedthe hopscotch display 600 or 700 after the user instructed the mediaguidance application to display program listings for future time periodstwice (by selecting the right arrow options or keys). However, it shouldbe understood that the media guidance application may be configured toprovide such automatic functionality of providing the hopscotch display600 or 700 after receiving any number of predetermined user selectionsor inputs instructing the media guidance application to display programlistings for future time periods.

It should also be understood that the above illustration applies in asimilar manner to the situation where the user selects the left arrow120 or presses the left arrow key on the user input device (e.g., toview program listings for time periods previous to the program listingsin the display). For example, the user may select left arrow option 120or press the left arrow key on the user input device a predeterminednumber of times (e.g., 3 times) and instead of displaying programlistings for the previous time period, the media guidance applicationmay slide or bring into the display hopscotch display 600 or 700 (FIG. 6or 7).

Display 100 may also include video region 122, advertisement 124, andoptions region 126. Video region 122 may allow the user to view and/orpreview programs that are currently available, will be available, orwere available to the user. The content of video region 122 maycorrespond to, or be independent from, one of the listings displayed ingrid 102. Grid displays including a video region are sometimes referredto as picture-in-guide (PIG) displays. PIG displays and theirfunctionalities are described in greater detail in Satterfield et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,378, issued May 13, 2003 and Yuen et al. U.S. Pat.No. 6,239,794, issued May 29, 2001, which are hereby incorporated byreference herein in their entireties. PIG displays may be included inother media guidance application display screens of the presentinvention.

Advertisement 124 may provide an advertisement for media content that,depending on a viewer's access rights (e.g., for subscriptionprogramming), is currently available for viewing, will be available forviewing in the future, or may never become available for viewing, andmay correspond to or be unrelated to one or more of the media listingsin grid 102. Advertisement 124 may also be for products or servicesrelated or unrelated to the media content displayed in grid 102.Advertisement 124 may be selectable and provide further informationabout media content, provide information about a product or a service,enable purchasing of media content, a product, or a service, providemedia content relating to the advertisement, etc. Advertisement 124 maybe targeted based on a user's profile/preferences, monitored useractivity, the type of display provided, or on other suitable targetedadvertisement bases.

While advertisement 124 is shown as rectangular or banner shaped,advertisements may be provided in any suitable size, shape, and locationin a guidance application display. For example, advertisement 124 may beprovided as a rectangular shape that is horizontally adjacent to grid102. This is sometimes referred to as a panel advertisement. Inaddition, advertisements may be overlaid over media content or aguidance application display or embedded within a display.Advertisements may also include text, images, rotating images, videoclips, or other types of media content. Advertisements may be stored inthe user equipment with the guidance application, in a databaseconnected to the user equipment, in a remote location (includingstreaming media servers), or on other storage means or a combination ofthese locations. Providing advertisements in a media guidanceapplication is discussed in greater detail in, for example, Knudson etal., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/347,673, filed Jan. 17, 2003,Ward, III et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,756,997, issued Jun. 29, 2004, andSchein et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,388,714, issued May 14, 2002, which arehereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. It will beappreciated that advertisements may be included in other media guidanceapplication display screens of the present invention.

Options region 126 may allow the user to access different types of mediacontent, media guidance application displays, and/or media guidanceapplication features. Options region 126 may be part of display 100 (andother display screens of the present invention), or may be invoked by auser by selecting an on-screen option or pressing a dedicated orassignable button on a user input device. The selectable options withinoptions region 126 may concern features related to program listings ingrid 102 or may include options available from a main menu display.Features related to program listings may include searching for other airtimes or ways of receiving a program, recording a program, enablingseries recording of a program, setting program and/or channel as afavorite, purchasing a program, or other features. Options availablefrom a main menu display may include search options, VOD options,parental control options, access to various types of listing displays,subscribe to a premium service, edit a user's profile, access a browseoverlay, or other options.

The media guidance application may be personalized based on a user'spreferences. A personalized media guidance application allows a user tocustomize displays and features to create a personalized “experience”with the media guidance application. This personalized experience may becreated by allowing a user to input these customizations and/or by themedia guidance application monitoring user activity to determine varioususer preferences. Users may access their personalized guidanceapplication by logging in or otherwise identifying themselves to theguidance application. Customization of the media guidance applicationmay be made in accordance with a user profile. The customizations mayinclude varying presentation schemes (e.g., color scheme of displays,font size of text, etc.), aspects of media content listings displayed(e.g., only HDTV programming, user-specified broadcast channels based onfavorite channel selections, re-ordering the display of channels,recommended media content, etc.), desired recording features (e.g.,recording or series recordings for particular users, recording quality,etc.), parental control settings, and other desired customizations.

The media guidance application may allow a user to provide user profileinformation or may automatically compile user profile information. Themedia guidance application may, for example, monitor the media the useraccesses and/or other interactions the user may have with the guidanceapplication. Additionally, the media guidance application may obtain allor part of other user profiles that are related to a particular user(e.g., from other web sites on the Internet the user accesses, such aswww.tvguide.com, from other media guidance applications the useraccesses, from other interactive applications the user accesses, from ahandheld device of the user, etc.), and/or obtain information about theuser from other sources that the media guidance application may access.As a result, a user can be provided with a unified guidance applicationexperience across the user's different devices. This type of userexperience is described in greater detail below in connection with FIG.4. Additional personalized media guidance application features aredescribed in greater detail in Ellis et al., U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/179,410, filed Jul. 11, 2005, Boyer et al., U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/437,304, filed Nov. 9, 1999, and Ellis et al.,U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/105,128, filed Feb. 21, 2002, whichare hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

Another display arrangement for providing media guidance is shown inFIG. 2. Video mosaic display 200 includes selectable options 202 formedia content information organized based on media type, genre, and/orother organization criteria. In display 200, television listings option204 is selected, thus providing listings 206, 208, 210, and 212 asbroadcast program listings. Unlike the listings from FIG. 1, thelistings in display 200 are not limited to simple text (e.g., theprogram title) and icons to describe media. Rather, in display 200 thelistings may provide graphical images including cover art, still imagesfrom the media content, video clip previews, live video from the mediacontent, or other types of media that indicate to a user the mediacontent being described by the listing. Each of the graphical listingsmay also be accompanied by text to provide further information about themedia content associated with the listing. For example, listing 208 mayinclude more than one portion, including media portion 214 and textportion 216. Media portion 214 and/or text portion 216 may be selectableto view video in full-screen or to view program listings related to thevideo displayed in media portion 214 (e.g., to view listings for thechannel that the video is displayed on).

The listings in display 200 are of different sizes (i.e., listing 206 islarger than listings 208, 210, and 212), but if desired, all thelistings may be the same size. Listings may be of different sizes orgraphically accentuated to indicate degrees of interest to the user orto emphasize certain content, as desired by the media provider or basedon user preferences. Various systems and methods for graphicallyaccentuating media listings are discussed in, for example, Yates, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/324,202, filed Dec. 29, 2005, which ishereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Users may access media content and the media guidance application (andits display screens described above and below) from one or more of theiruser equipment devices. FIG. 3 shows a generalized embodiment ofillustrative user equipment device 300. More specific implementations ofuser equipment devices are discussed below in connection with FIG. 4.User equipment device 300 may receive media content and data viainput/output (hereinafter “I/O”) path 302. I/O path 302 may providemedia content (e.g., broadcast programming, on-demand programming,Internet content, and other video or audio) and data to controlcircuitry 304, which includes processing circuitry 306 and storage 308.Control circuitry 304 may be used to send and receive commands,requests, and other suitable data using I/O path 302. I/O path 302 mayconnect control circuitry 304 (and specifically processing circuitry306) to one or more communications paths (described below). I/Ofunctions may be provided by one or more of these communications paths,but are shown as a single path in FIG. 3 to avoid overcomplicating thedrawing.

Control circuitry 304 may be based on any suitable processing circuitry306 such as processing circuitry based on one or more microprocessors,microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices,etc. In some embodiments, control circuitry 304 executes instructionsfor a media guidance application stored in memory (i.e., storage 308).In client-server based embodiments, control circuitry 304 may includecommunications circuitry suitable for communicating with a guidanceapplication server or other networks or servers. Communicationscircuitry may include a cable modem, an integrated services digitalnetwork (ISDN) modem, a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a telephonemodem, or a wireless modem for communications with other equipment. Suchcommunications may involve the Internet or any other suitablecommunications networks or paths (which is described in more detail inconnection with FIG. 4). In addition, communications circuitry mayinclude circuitry that enables peer-to-peer communication of userequipment devices, or communication of user equipment devices inlocations remote from each other (described in more detail below).

Memory (e.g., random-access memory, read-only memory, or any othersuitable memory), hard drives, optical drives, or any other suitablefixed or removable storage devices (e.g., DVD recorder, CD recorder,video cassette recorder, or other suitable recording device) may beprovided as storage 308 that is part of control circuitry 304. Storage308 may include one or more of the above types of storage devices. Forexample, user equipment device 300 may include a hard drive for a DVR(sometimes called a personal video recorder, or PVR) and a DVD recorderas a secondary storage device. Storage 308 may be used to store varioustypes of media described herein and guidance application data, includingprogram information, guidance application settings, user preferences orprofile information, or other data used in operating the guidanceapplication. Nonvolatile memory may also be used (e.g., to launch aboot-up routine and other instructions).

Control circuitry 304 may include video generating circuitry and tuningcircuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2decoders or other digital decoding circuitry, high-definition tuners, orany other suitable tuning or video circuits or combinations of suchcircuits. Encoding circuitry (e.g., for converting over-the-air, analog,or digital signals to MPEG signals for storage) may also be provided.Control circuitry 304 may also include scaler circuitry for upconvertingand downconverting media into the preferred output format of the userequipment 300. Circuitry 304 may also include digital-to-analogconverter circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry forconverting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and encodingcircuitry may be used by the user equipment to receive and to display,to play, or to record media content. The tuning and encoding circuitrymay also be used to receive guidance data. The circuitry describedherein, including for example, the tuning, video generating, encoding,decoding, scaler, and analog/digital circuitry, may be implemented usingsoftware running on one or more general purpose or specializedprocessors. Multiple tuners may be provided to handle simultaneoustuning functions (e.g., watch and record functions, picture-in-picture(PIP) functions, multiple-tuner recording, etc.). If storage 308 isprovided as a separate device from user equipment 300, the tuning andencoding circuitry (including multiple tuners) may be associated withstorage 308.

A user may control the control circuitry 304 using user input interfaceor device 310. User input interface 310 may be any suitable userinterface, such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad, keyboard,touch screen, touch pad, stylus input, joystick, voice recognitioninterface, or other user input interfaces. For example, when a userpresses a button (e.g., SELECT or right arrow or left arrow directionalkeys) on the user input device 310, a communication or message with thecorresponding command (e.g., select or move right) is transmitted fromthe user input device 310 for receipt and processing by controlcircuitry 304. Display 312 may be provided as a stand-alone device orintegrated with other elements of user equipment device 300. Display 312may be one or more of a monitor, a television, a liquid crystal display(LCD) for a mobile device, or any other suitable equipment fordisplaying visual images. In some embodiments, display 312 may beHDTV-capable. Speakers 314 may be provided as integrated with otherelements of user equipment device 300 or may be stand-alone units. Theaudio component of videos and other media content displayed on display312 may be played through speakers 314. In some embodiments, the audiomay be distributed to a receiver (not shown), which processes andoutputs the audio via speakers 314.

The guidance application may be implemented using any suitablearchitecture. For example, it may be a stand-alone application whollyimplemented on user equipment device 300. In such an approach,instructions of the application are stored locally, and data for use bythe application is downloaded on a periodic basis (e.g., from the VBI ofa television channel, from an out-of-band feed, or using anothersuitable approach). In another embodiment, the media guidanceapplication is a client-server based application. Data for use by athick or thin client implemented on user equipment device 300 isretrieved on-demand by issuing requests to a server remote to the userequipment device 300. In one example of a client-server based guidanceapplication, control circuitry 304 runs a web browser that interpretsweb pages provided by a remote server.

In yet other embodiments, the media guidance application is downloadedand interpreted or otherwise run by an interpreter or virtual machine(run by control circuitry 304). In some embodiments, the guidanceapplication may be encoded in the ETV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF),received by control circuitry 304 as part of a suitable feed, andinterpreted by a user agent running on control circuitry 304. Forexample, the guidance application may be a EBIF widget. In otherembodiments, the guidance application may be defined by a series ofJAVA-based files that are received and run by a local virtual machine orother suitable middleware executed by control circuitry 304. In some ofsuch embodiments (e.g., those employing MPEG-2 or other digital mediaencoding schemes), the guidance application may be, for example, encodedand transmitted in an MPEG-2 object carousel with the MPEG audio andvideo packets of a program.

User equipment device 300 of FIG. 3 can be implemented in system 400 ofFIG. 4 as user television equipment 402, user computer equipment 404,wireless user communications device 406, or any other type of userequipment suitable for accessing media, such as a non-portable gamingmachine. For simplicity, these devices may be referred to hereincollectively as user equipment or user equipment devices. User equipmentdevices, on which a media guidance application is implemented, mayfunction as a standalone device or may be part of a network of devices.Various network configurations of devices may be implemented and arediscussed in more detail below.

User television equipment 402 may include a set-top box, an integratedreceiver decoder (IRD) for handling satellite television, a televisionset, a digital storage device, a DVD recorder, a video-cassette recorder(VCR), a local media server, or other user television equipment. One ormore of these devices may be integrated to be a single device, ifdesired. User computer equipment 404 may include a PC, a laptop, atablet, a WebTV box, a personal computer television (PC/TV), a PC mediaserver, a PC media center, or other user computer equipment. WEBTV is atrademark owned by Microsoft Corp. Wireless user communications device406 may include PDAs, a mobile telephone, a portable video player, aportable music player, a portable gaming machine, or other wirelessdevices.

It should be noted that with the advent of television tuner cards forPC's, WebTV, and the integration of video into other user equipmentdevices, the lines have become blurred when trying to classify a deviceas one of the above devices. In fact, each of user television equipment402, user computer equipment 404, and wireless user communicationsdevice 406 may utilize at least some of the system features describedabove in connection with FIG. 3 and, as a result, include flexibilitywith respect to the type of media content available on the device. Forexample, user television equipment 402 may be Internet-enabled allowingfor access to Internet content, while user computer equipment 404 mayinclude a tuner allowing for access to television programming. The mediaguidance application may also have the same layout on the variousdifferent types of user equipment or may be tailored to the displaycapabilities of the user equipment. For example, on user computerequipment, the guidance application may be provided as a web siteaccessed by a web browser. In another example, the guidance applicationmay be scaled down for wireless user communications devices.

In system 400, there is typically more than one of each type of userequipment device but only one of each is shown in FIG. 4 to avoidovercomplicating the drawing. In addition, each user may utilize morethan one type of user equipment device (e.g., a user may have atelevision set and a computer) and also more than one of each type ofuser equipment device (e.g., a user may have a PDA and a mobiletelephone and/or multiple television sets).

The user may also set various settings to maintain consistent mediaguidance application settings across in-home devices and remote devices.Settings include those described herein, as well as channel and programfavorites, programming preferences that the guidance applicationutilizes to make programming recommendations, display preferences, andother desirable guidance settings. For example, if a user sets a channelas a favorite on, for example, the web site www.tvguide.com on theirpersonal computer at their office, the same channel would appear as afavorite on the user's in-home devices (e.g., user television equipmentand user computer equipment) as well as the user's mobile devices, ifdesired. Therefore, changes made on one user equipment device can changethe guidance experience on another user equipment device, regardless ofwhether they are the same or a different type of user equipment device.In addition, the changes made may be based on settings input by a user,as well as user activity monitored by the guidance application.

The user equipment devices may be coupled to communications network 414.Namely, user television equipment 402, user computer equipment 404, andwireless user communications device 406 are coupled to communicationsnetwork 414 via communications paths 408, 410, and 412, respectively.Communications network 414 may be one or more networks including theInternet, a mobile phone network, mobile device (e.g., Blackberry)network, cable network, public switched telephone network, or othertypes of communications network or combinations of communicationsnetworks. BLACKBERRY is a service mark owned by Research In MotionLimited Corp. Paths 408, 410, and 412 may separately or together includeone or more communications paths, such as, a satellite path, afiber-optic path, a cable path, a path that supports Internetcommunications (e.g., IPTV), free-space connections (e.g., for broadcastor other wireless signals), or any other suitable wired or wirelesscommunications path or combination of such paths. Path 412 is drawn withdotted lines to indicate that in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.4 it is a wireless path and paths 408 and 410 are drawn as solid linesto indicate they are wired paths (although these paths may be wirelesspaths, if desired). Communications with the user equipment devices maybe provided by one or more of these communications paths, but are shownas a single path in FIG. 4 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

Although communications paths are not drawn between user equipmentdevices, these devices may communicate directly with each other viacommunication paths, such as those described above in connection withpaths 408, 410, and 412, as well other short-range point-to-pointcommunication paths, such as USB cables, IEEE 1394 cables, wirelesspaths (e.g., Bluetooth, infrared, IEEE 802-11x, etc.), or othershort-range communication via wired or wireless paths. BLUETOOTH is acertification mark owned by Bluetooth SIG, INC. The user equipmentdevices may also communicate with each other directly through anindirect path via communications network 414.

System 400 includes media content source 416 and media guidance datasource 418 coupled to communications network 414 via communication paths420 and 422, respectively. Paths 420 and 422 may include any of thecommunication paths described above in connection with paths 408, 410,and 412. Communications with the media content source 416 and mediaguidance data source 418 may be exchanged over one or morecommunications paths, but are shown as a single path in FIG. 4 to avoidovercomplicating the drawing. In addition, there may be more than one ofeach of media content source 416 and media guidance data source 418, butonly one of each is shown in FIG. 4 to avoid overcomplicating thedrawing. (The different types of each of these sources are discussedbelow.) If desired, media content source 416 and media guidance datasource 418 may be integrated as one source device. Althoughcommunications between sources 416 and 418 with user equipment devices402, 404, and 406 are shown as through communications network 414, insome embodiments, sources 416 and 418 may communicate directly with userequipment devices 402, 404, and 406 via communication paths (not shown)such as those described above in connection with paths 408, 410, and412.

Media content source 416 may include one or more types of mediadistribution equipment including a television distribution facility,cable system headend, satellite distribution facility, programmingsources (e.g., television broadcasters, such as NBC, ABC, HBO, etc.),intermediate distribution facilities and/or servers, Internet providers,on-demand media servers, and other media content providers. NBC is atrademark owned by the National Broadcasting Company, Inc., ABC is atrademark owned by the ABC, INC., and HBO is a trademark owned by theHome Box Office, Inc. Media content source 416 may be the originator ofmedia content (e.g., a television broadcaster, a Webcast provider, etc.)or may not be the originator of media content (e.g., an on-demand mediacontent provider, an Internet provider of video content of broadcastprograms for downloading, etc.). Media content source 416 may includecable sources, satellite providers, on-demand providers, Internetproviders, or other providers of media content. Media content source 416may also include a remote media server used to store different types ofmedia content (including video content selected by a user), in alocation remote from any of the user equipment devices. Systems andmethods for remote storage of media content, and providing remotelystored media content to user equipment are discussed in greater detailin connection with Ellis et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/332,244, filed Jun. 11, 1999, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

Media guidance data source 418 may provide media guidance data, such asmedia listings, media-related information (e.g., broadcast times,broadcast channels, media titles, media descriptions, ratingsinformation (e.g., parental control ratings, critic's ratings, etc.),genre or category information, actor information, logo data forbroadcasters' or providers' logos, etc.), media format (e.g., standarddefinition, high definition, etc.), advertisement information (e.g.,text, images, media clips, etc.), on-demand information, and any othertype of guidance data that is helpful for a user to navigate among andlocate desired media selections.

Media guidance application data may be provided to the user equipmentdevices using any suitable approach. In some embodiments, the guidanceapplication may be a stand-alone interactive television program guidethat receives program guide data via a data feed (e.g., a continuousfeed, trickle feed, or data in the vertical blanking interval of achannel). Program schedule data and other guidance data may be providedto the user equipment on a television channel sideband, in the verticalblanking interval of a television channel, using an in-band digitalsignal, using an out-of-band digital signal, or by any other suitabledata transmission technique. Program schedule data and other guidancedata may be provided to user equipment on multiple analog or digitaltelevision channels. Program schedule data and other guidance data maybe provided to the user equipment with any suitable frequency (e.g.,continuously, daily, a user-specified period of time, a system-specifiedperiod of time, in response to a request from user equipment, etc.). Insome approaches, guidance data from media guidance data source 418 maybe provided to users' equipment using a client-server approach. Forexample, a guidance application client residing on the user's equipmentmay initiate sessions with source 418 to obtain guidance data whenneeded. Media guidance data source 418 may provide user equipmentdevices 402, 404, and 406 the media guidance application itself orsoftware updates for the media guidance application.

Media guidance applications may be, for example, stand-aloneapplications implemented on user equipment devices. In otherembodiments, media guidance applications may be client-serverapplications where only the client resides on the user equipment device.For example, media guidance applications may be implemented partially asa client application on control circuitry 304 of user equipment device300 and partially on a remote server as a server application (e.g.,media guidance data source 418). The guidance application displays maybe generated by the media guidance data source 418 and transmitted tothe user equipment devices. The media guidance data source 418 may alsotransmit data for storage on the user equipment, which then generatesthe guidance application displays based on instructions processed bycontrol circuitry.

Media guidance system 400 is intended to illustrate a number ofapproaches, or network configurations, by which user equipment devicesand sources of media content and guidance data may communicate with eachother for the purpose of accessing media and providing media guidance.The present invention may be applied in any one or a subset of theseapproaches, or in a system employing other approaches for deliveringmedia and providing media guidance. The following three approachesprovide specific illustrations of the generalized example of FIG. 4.

In one approach, user equipment devices may communicate with each otherwithin a home network. User equipment devices can communicate with eachother directly via short-range point-to-point communication schemesdescribe above, via indirect paths through a hub or other similar deviceprovided on a home network, or via communications network 414. Each ofthe multiple individuals in a single home may operate different userequipment devices on the home network. As a result, it may be desirablefor various media guidance information or settings to be communicatedbetween the different user equipment devices. For example, it may bedesirable for users to maintain consistent media guidance applicationsettings on different user equipment devices within a home network, asdescribed in greater detail in Ellis et al., U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/179,410, filed Jul. 11, 2005. Different types of userequipment devices in a home network may also communicate with each otherto transmit media content. For example, a user may transmit mediacontent from user computer equipment to a portable video player orportable music player.

In a second approach, users may have multiple types of user equipment bywhich they access media content and obtain media guidance. For example,some users may have home networks that are accessed by in-home andmobile devices. Users may control in-home devices via a media guidanceapplication implemented on a remote device. For example, users mayaccess an online media guidance application on a website via a personalcomputer at their office, or a mobile device such as a PDA orweb-enabled mobile telephone. The user may set various settings (e.g.,recordings, reminders, or other settings) on the online guidanceapplication to control the user's in-home equipment. The online guidemay control the user's equipment directly, or by communicating with amedia guidance application on the user's in-home equipment. Varioussystems and methods for user equipment devices communicating, where theuser equipment devices are in locations remote from each other, isdiscussed in, for example, Ellis et al., U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/927,814, filed Aug. 26, 2004, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

In a third approach, users of user equipment devices inside and outsidea home can use their media guidance application to communicate directlywith media content source 416 to access media content. Specifically,within a home, users of user television equipment 404 and user computerequipment 406 may access the media guidance application to navigateamong and locate desirable media content. Users may also access themedia guidance application outside of the home using wireless usercommunications devices 406 to navigate among and locate desirable mediacontent.

It will be appreciated that while the discussion of media content hasfocused on video content, the principles of media guidance can beapplied to other types of media content, such as music, images, etc.

In some embodiments, control circuitry 304 may display a program listingsimultaneously with a program or video of the program being watched. Inparticular, control circuitry 304 may allow the user to browse programlistings for other program while watching the program on the display.Control circuitry 304 may display the program listing or multipleprogram listings by providing a display similar to grid 102 discussed inrelation to FIGS. 1 a-b. While browsing through the program listings atthe same time as watching a program, control circuitry 304 may providethe user with access to a hopscotch display (e.g., display 600 or 700)for faster and easier access to program listings corresponding todifferent time periods.

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative display 500 that may be used to providemedia guidance application listings simultaneously with video of aprogram in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Display 500includes a video 510, a browse display 520 and a hopscotch display 540.Video 510 may be an image or video of the currently tuned channel or animage or video currently being watched on the main display of avideo-on-demand media asset, Internet delivered content (e.g., HULU.comor YOUTUBE.com), website or any other suitable content provided on themain display.

Browse display 520 may be displayed for the user when control circuitry304 receives an instruction (e.g., display guide instruction) from theuser via the user input device. For example, the user may press a GUIDEbutton on the user input device while watching video 510 and in responsecontrol circuitry 304 may provide browse display 520. Browse display 520may be displayed simultaneously or together with video 510. In someimplementations, browse display 520 may be overlaid on top of video 510.Browse display 520 may be partially transparent to allow the user toview both browse display 520 and video 510 through the same portion ofthe display screen.

Browse display 520 may include the current time, a program listing 524corresponding to a time period 522 and a hopscotch icon 530. In someembodiments, hopscotch icon 530 may be excluded from browse display 520.For example, hopscotch icon 530 may be excluded when the hopscotchdisplay is provided automatically to the user after receiving apredetermined number of identical instructions (e.g., receiving threepresses of the right/left arrow key on the user input device).

In some embodiments, time period 522 may correspond to a time intervallength of one hour, 30 minutes or any other suitable time interval.Program listing 524 may include the titles and channels that areprovided during time period 522. Program listings for adjacent timeperiods may be displayed when the user transmits instructions to controlcircuitry 304 to shift or slide into the display program listings foradjacent time periods (e.g., by selecting an on-screen option(directional arrow) or pressing a right/left arrow key on a user inputdevice). In some embodiments, control circuitry 304 may count the numberof times the user issues an identical instruction (e.g., to shift orslide into the display program listings for an adjacent time period).After control circuitry 304 determines the number of time the userissued the identical instructions meets or exceeds a predeterminednumber (e.g., three identical instructions), control circuitry 304 mayautomatically display hopscotch display 540. In some embodiments,hopscotch display 540 may be provided when the user selects theon-screen hopscotch icon 530 or presses a dedicated key on the userinput device.

Hopscotch display 540 may include a plurality of cells each representingdifferent consecutive time periods. For example, a first cell 544 mayrepresent the time period of 5-6 PM, a second cell 542 may represent atime period 7-8 PM and a third cell 546 may represent a time period 8-9PM. To represent consecutive time periods there may be no break in thetime period that is represented. In particular, if a 6 hour timeinterval (length of time) is to be presented in hopscotch display 540and each cell represents a one hour time period, hopscotch display 540will include 6 different cells. In some implementations, the cells maybe arranged in consecutive order such that the cell representing thetime period 7-8 PM is adjacent to both the cells representing the timeperiod 6-7 PM and 8-9 PM.

In some embodiments, when hopscotch display 540 is initially provided,the cell representing the current time period is automaticallyhighlighted or selected. For example, the cell representing the currenttime period may be shaded a different color, may have a different sizethan the other cells in hopscotch 540 or may be distinguished from theother cells in hopscotch 540 in any other suitable manner. Inparticular, since the current time in display 510 is shown to be 7:02PM, cell 542 representing the time period 7-8 PM is initiallyhighlighted by the cursor (illustrated as being sized differently fromthe other cells in hopscotch display 540).

To navigate and select a cell representing another or an alternate timeperiod, the user may press a directional arrow key on the user inputdevice that corresponds to the direction to which the cursor is to bemoved. For example, when the cursor is positioned over cell 542, theuser may press a left directional arrow key on the user input device tomove the cursor towards the cells on the left of cell 542 and towardscell 544. When control circuitry 304 receives an instruction (e.g., aright arrow key press on the user input device) to move the cursor orhighlight region towards the right, the cursor may be moved towards cell546. In some implementations, the cells may be arranged in a verticalorientation, and accordingly the user may similarly press the up/downdirectional arrow keys to navigate the cursor to a desired cellrepresenting a particular time period.

Although hopscotch display 540 provides access to time periods within asingle day (e.g., Tuesday), time periods corresponding to different daysmay be accessed or displayed. For example, when the user navigates thecursor to the cell representing the last time period within thedisplayed day (e.g., Tuesday) and issues an instruction to go to thenext time period (e.g., presses the right arrow key on the user inputdevice), control circuitry 304 may display cells representing timeperiods for the next adjacent day (e.g., Wednesday). Alternatively, whenthe user navigates the cursor to the cell representing the first timeperiod within the displayed day (e.g., Tuesday) and issues aninstruction to go to the previous time period (e.g., presses the leftarrow key on the user input device), control circuitry 304 may displaycells representing time periods for the previous adjacent day (e.g.,Monday).

In some embodiments, cells that represent time periods previous to thecurrent time period may be grayed out or shaded a different color or bevisually distinguished from other cells in hopscotch display 540. Forexample, as shown in display 510, since cells to the left of cell 542represent time periods previous to the current time period of 7-8 PMthey are shown in a different color. In particular, cell 544 is grayedout to visually indicate to the user that cell 544 represents timeperiods previous to the current time period. In some implementations,cells that represent time periods previous to the current time periodsare not selectable such that the user may not be able to navigate tosuch cells.

In some embodiments, the time periods represented by the cells inhopscotch display 540 are each identical to time period 522 in browsedisplay 520. For example, when time period 522 in browse display 520represents a one hour time interval, each of the cells in hopscotchdisplay 540 represent a time period with a one hour time interval.

Control circuitry 304 may receive instructions from the user inputdevice to navigate the cursor to a particular cell in hopscotch display540. The user may issue an instruction to control circuitry 304 toselect the cell over which the cursor is positioned by, for example,pressing a SELECT key on the user input device. When control circuitry304 receives an instruction to select the cell over which the cursor ispositioned, control circuitry 304 may retrieve from memory the programlistings corresponding to the time period represented by the selectedcell. Browse display 520 may provide a single channel guide in whichprogram listings are displayed for a selected channel. Accordingly,control circuitry 304 may retrieve the program listings corresponding tothe channel identified in browse display 520 for the time periodrepresented by the selected cell. The program listing(s) may bedisplayed in browse display 520 and time period 522 may be updated toreflect the time period represented by the selected cell.

It should be understood that although only a single program listing fora single channel is shown in browse display 520, any number ofadditional program listings for one or more channels may be displayed inbrowse display 520. For example, control circuitry 304 may display aminiature version of grid 102 discussed in relation with FIG. 1.

In some embodiments, when control processor 304 determines the need(e.g., automatically or in response to a specific user input orselection) to provide a hopscotch display, control processor 304 mayprovide a hopscotch display that may occupy a portion or the fullscreen. The user may navigate through the hopscotch display to select analternate time period for which to display program listings.

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative hopscotch display 600 in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Display 600 includes a first plurality ofcells 610, a second plurality of cells 630, an action or event window620 and a video window 650. Video window 650 may display the video ofthe last tuned to channel or program that was being watched. Videowindow 650 may provide the same or similar functionality and display asvideo 510 (FIG. 5) and for the sake of brevity and not limitation thediscussion will be omitted. In some embodiments, video window 650 mayprovide a short preview clip corresponding to media asset informationdisplayed in event window 620. In some embodiments, video window 650 mayprovide a short preview clip corresponding to information provided in anadvertisement in display 600.

Each of first plurality of cells 610 may represent consecutive timeperiods (e.g., days of the week). For example, cell 610 a may representSunday, cell 610 b may represent Monday and cell 610 c may representTuesday. Any number of cells 610 may be provided where each represents aday of the current week or subsequent or prior weeks. To representconsecutive time periods there may be no break in the time period thatis represented. In particular, if a 6 day interval (length of time) isto be presented in hopscotch display 600 and each cell represents asingle day of the week, hopscotch display 600 will include 6 differentcells. In some implementations, the cells may be arranged in consecutiveorder such that the cell representing the time period Monday is adjacentto both the cells representing the time period Sunday and Tuesday.

In some embodiments, when hopscotch display 600 is initially provided,the cell representing the current time period is automaticallyhighlighted or selected by a cursor. For example, cell 610 crepresenting the current time period may be shaded a different color,may have a different size than the other cells in hopscotch display 600or may be distinguished from the other cells in hopscotch display 600 inany other suitable manner. In particular, the current time in display600 may be 9:02 AM on Tuesday, and accordingly cell 610 c representingthe time period Tuesday is initially highlighted by the cursor(illustrated as being sized differently from the other cells inhopscotch display 600). To navigate and select a cell representinganother time period, the user may press a directional arrow key on theuser input device that corresponds to the direction to which the cursoris to be moved. For example, when the cursor is positioned over cell 610c, the user may press a left directional arrow key on the user inputdevice to move the cursor towards the cells on the left of cell 610 cand towards cell 610 b. When control circuitry 304 receives aninstruction (e.g., a right arrow key press on the user input device) tomove the cursor or highlight region towards the right, the cursor may bemoved towards the next adjacent cell on the right. In someimplementations, the cells may be arranged in a vertical orientation,and accordingly the user may similarly press the up/down directionalarrow keys to navigate the cursor to a desired cell representing aparticular time period.

In some embodiments, when a given one of cells 610 is highlighted for apredetermined period of time (e.g., 2 seconds), the given cell may beexpanded to display second plurality of cells 630. In someimplementations, instead of or in addition to expanding the given cellafter the predetermined period of time, the user may press a suitablekey on the user input device (e.g., a SELECT button) to instruct controlcircuitry 304 to expand the cell over which the cursor is positioned.Second plurality of cells 630 displayed within cell 610 may representtime periods within the day represented by cell 610. For example, cell610 c may represent the time period Tuesday and the cells 630 withincell 610 c may represent time periods within the day Tuesday (e.g., timeperiod 9 AM-12 PM).

The length of the time interval of the time period represented by eachcell 630 may be identical to or correspond to the length of the timeinterval displayed in grid 102 (FIG. 1) (e.g., 3 hours). For example,each cell 630 may represent a 3 hour time period. As discussed above,cells that represent time periods previous to the current time periodmay be grayed out or shaded a different color or be visuallydistinguished from other cells in hopscotch display 600.

Each of second plurality of cells 630 may represent consecutive timeperiods (e.g., hours within a given day of the week). For example, cell630 a may represent the hours 2-5 AM, cell 630 b may represent the hours5-8 AM and cell 640 may represent the hours 9 AM-12 PM. To representconsecutive time periods there may be no break in the time period thatis represented by cells 630. In particular, if a 6 hour time interval(length of time) is to be presented in cell 610 of hopscotch display 600and each cell represents one hour within a given day of the week,hopscotch display 600 will include 6 different cells 630. In someimplementations, the cells may be arranged in consecutive order suchthat the cell representing the time period 9 AM-12 PM is adjacent toboth the cells representing the time period 6 AM-9 AM and 12 PM-3 PM.

In some embodiments, when hopscotch display 600 is initially provided,the cell representing the current time period is automaticallyhighlighted or selected by a cursor. For example, cell 640 representingthe current time period may be shaded a different color, may have adifferent size than the other cells in hopscotch display 600 or may bedistinguished from the other cells in hopscotch display 600 in any othersuitable manner. In particular, the current time in display 600 may 9:02AM on Tuesday, and accordingly cell 640 within cell 610 c representingthe time period 9 AM-12 PM on Tuesday is initially highlighted by thecursor (illustrated as being sized differently from the other cells inhopscotch display 600). The navigation between different cells 630 isperformed in a similar manner as discussed above with respect to cells610 and hopscotch display 540 (FIG. 5).

In some embodiments, as the user navigates the cursor over cells 610representing different days of a week, control circuitry 304 mayretrieve from memory actions or events scheduled for that day. Forexample, when the user navigates the cursor over cell 610 b representingMonday, May 22nd, control circuitry 304 may retrieve from memory actionsor events previously scheduled for that day (Monday, May 22nd). Inparticular, any program scheduled for recording on the day representedby the cell highlighted by the cursor or reminder set for a programbroadcast or provided on the day represented by the cell highlighted bythe cursor may be retrieved from memory. The list of actions or eventsretrieved from the memory may be displayed in events window 620.

For example, events window 620 may display information identifyingrecordings scheduled for the day represented by the cell highlighted bythe cursor. The information may include the program title, a shortdescription, broadcast time and channel, an indicator that indicates tothe user whether the program is an episode of a series scheduled forrecording and any other suitable information. In some implementations,the user may navigate the cursor to events window 620 to select aparticular event listed in events window 620. In particular, the usermay select a particular event listed to make modifications (e.g., changea recording time or reminder time) or cancel the action or eventaltogether. In some implementations, part of the events listed in eventswindow 620 may not be modified and may be blocked based on parentalcontrol settings. The parental control settings prevents another userwith different or insufficient access rights from canceling or modifyinga particular action or event.

In some embodiments, as the user navigates the cursor over differentactions or events listed in events window 620, a short preview clip orpromotional segment may be displayed in video window 650. For example,when the user navigates the cursor over the scheduled recording for Kingof the Hill, video window 650 may display a promotional or preview clipfor the upcoming or related show or a preview of the scheduledrecording. When video window 650 displays a preview or promotional clipof an upcoming or related show, the user may navigate the cursor tovideo window 650 or press a suitable button on the user input device tocause an action or event (e.g., a recording or reminder) to be scheduledfor the corresponding program. As the user navigates to other actions orevents (e.g., The Dark Knight), video window 650 may change to display apromotional or preview clip of the program corresponding to the actionor event over which the cursor is positioned (e.g., The Dark Knight).

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative hopscotch display 700 in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Hopscotch display 700 is similar tohopscotch display 600 (FIG. 6) discussed above. In particular, hopscotchdisplay 700 includes a first plurality of cells 710, a second pluralityof cells 720, video window 650 and events window 750.

First plurality of cells 710 may have the same or similar functionalityas cells 610 (FIG. 6). In particular, each of first plurality of cells710 may represent consecutive time periods (e.g., days of the week). Forexample, first cell 710 may represent Sunday, second cell 710 mayrepresent Monday and third cell 710 may represent Tuesday. Any number ofcells 710 may be provided where each represents a day of the currentweek or subsequent or prior weeks. To represent consecutive time periodsthere may be no break in the time period that is represented. Inparticular, if a 6 day interval (length of time) is to be presented inhopscotch display 700 and each cell represents a single day of the week,hopscotch display 700 will include 7 different cells. In someimplementations, the cells may be arranged in consecutive order suchthat the cell representing the time period Monday is adjacent to boththe cells representing the time period Sunday and Tuesday.Alternatively, cells 710 and/or cells 610 may be arranged in anysuitable order (e.g., randomly, pseudo-randomly, or userselected/specified order).

In some embodiments, when hopscotch display 700 is initially provided,the cell representing the current time period is automaticallyhighlighted or selected by a cursor. For example, cell 710 representingthe current time period may be shaded a different color, may have adifferent size than the other cells in hopscotch display 700 or may bedistinguished from the other cells in hopscotch display 700 in any othersuitable manner. In particular, the current time in display 700 may be9:02 AM on Sunday, and accordingly cell 710 representing the time periodSunday is initially highlighted by the cursor (illustrated as being inBOLD differently from the other cells in hopscotch display 700). Tonavigate and select a cell representing another time period, the usermay press a directional arrow key on the user input device thatcorresponds to the direction to which the cursor is to be moved. Forexample, when the cursor is positioned over cell 710, the user may pressa left directional arrow key on the user input device to move the cursortowards the cells on the left of cell 710 and towards cell 710. Whencontrol circuitry 304 receives an instruction (e.g., a right arrow keypress on the user input device) to move the cursor or highlight regiontowards the right, the cursor may be moved towards the next adjacentcell on the right. In some implementations, the cells may be arranged ina vertical orientation, and accordingly the user may similarly press theup/down directional arrow keys to navigate the cursor to a desired cellrepresenting a particular time period.

Second plurality of cells 720 may have the same or similar functionalityas cells 630 (FIG. 6). In particular, each of second plurality of cells720 may represent consecutive time periods (e.g., hours within a givenday of the week). For example, a first cell 720 may represent the hours1-3:59 AM, a second cell 720 may represent the hours 4-6:59 AM and athird cell 720 may represent the hours 7 AM-9:59 AM. To representconsecutive time periods there may be no break in the time period thatis represented by cells 720. In particular, if a 6 hour time interval(length of time) is to be presented by cells 720 of hopscotch display700 and each cell 720 represents one hour within a given day of theweek, hopscotch display 700 will include 6 different cells 720. In someimplementations, cells 720 may be arranged in consecutive order suchthat cell 720 representing the time period 7 AM-9:59 AM is adjacent toboth the cells representing the time period 4 AM-6:59 AM and 10 AM-12:59PM.

In some embodiments, when hopscotch display 700 is initially provided,the cell representing the current time period is automaticallyhighlighted or selected by a cursor. For example, cell 722 representingthe current time period may be shaded a different color, may have adifferent size than the other cells in hopscotch display 700 or may bedistinguished from the other cells in hopscotch display 700 in any othersuitable manner. In particular, the current time in display 700 may be10:02 AM on Sunday, and accordingly cell 722 underneath cell 730representing the time period 10 AM-12:59 PM on Sunday is initiallyhighlighted by the cursor. In some embodiments, when hopscotch display700 is initially provided, the cell representing the time period of thepreviously displayed grid 102 is automatically highlighted or selectedby a cursor. In particular, the user may have been browsing listings fora week later than the current time and accordingly, the cellrepresenting the time period of that later week is automaticallyhighlighted or selected by a cursor.

In some embodiments, only eight cells 710 corresponding to 7 days of oneweek and 1 day of a subsequent/previous week are provided. However, anynumber of additional or fewer cells 710 may be provided. In order todisplay cells 710 for an adjacent day that is not displayed that is aday of a subsequent or previous week, the user may select options 760 orpress a directional arrow on a user input device. For example, the usermay navigate the cursor to the last day shown in display 700 (e.g.,Saturday) and selection option 760 (right arrow) or press a rightdirectional arrow on user input device. When control circuitry 304receives the input from the user (right arrow), control circuitry 304may shift the cells 710 in the display one day over and display the nextadjacent day (e.g., Sunday) in cell 710. In some implementations, whencontrol circuitry 304 receives the input from the user (right arrow),control circuitry 304 may shift the cells 710 in the display one fullweek and day (e.g., 8 days) over and display the next/previous adjacent8 days in cells 710.

The navigation between different cells 720 is performed in a similarmanner as discussed above. In particular, since cells 720 areillustrated as being in the vertical alignment, selection of aparticular cell 720 may be performed by using the up/down navigationalarrows keys or options using the user input device. Similarly, sincecells 710 representing the days of the week are illustrated as being inthe horizontal alignment, selection of a particular cell 710 may beperformed by using the left/right navigational arrow keys or optionsusing the user input device.

In some embodiments, the cursor may be positioned over a particular oneof cells 720 representing a first time period (e.g., the hours 10AM-12:59 PM of the day Sunday) using the up/down navigational arrowkeys. Upon receiving a user input, such as, a left/right navigationalarrow key, control circuitry 304 may move the cursor to be positionedover the same hourly time period (e.g., 10 AM-12:59 PM) over an adjacentday (e.g., Saturday for a left navigation instruction or Monday for aright navigation instruction). This is shown in display 800 of FIG. 8,where display 700 shows the cursor being positioned over a cell 722representing a first time period on Sunday and after receiving a userinstruction to move the cursor to the right (e.g., by pressing the rightnavigational arrow key on the user input device), the cursor ispositioned over the same time period on the adjacent day, Monday. Morespecifically, control circuitry 304 may move the cursor to select anadjacent cell representing a time period corresponding to a day of theweek each time control circuitry 304 receives one of a first pair ofdirectional arrow instructions (e.g., left/right arrows). Similarly,control circuitry 304 may move the cursor to select an adjacent cellrepresenting a time period corresponding to an hour within a particularday of the week each time control circuitry 304 receives one of a secondpair of directional arrow instructions (e.g., up/down arrows).

The length of the time interval of the time period represented by eachcell 720 may be identical to or correspond to the length of the timeinterval displayed in grid 102 (FIG. 1) (e.g., 3 hours). For example,each cell 720 may represent a 3 hour time period.

FIG. 7 shows the days of the week as being represented by cells 710arranged along the horizontal direction and the hours within a day areshown as being represented by cells 720 arranged underneath thecorresponding day along the vertical direction. However, it should beunderstood that in some implementations, the days of the week may berepresented by cells arranged along the vertical direction and the hourswithin a day may be represented by cells arranged next to thecorresponding day along the horizontal direction. In someimplementations, cells 710 and 720 representing time periods that areprevious to the current time may be visually distinguished from theother cells in the display (e.g., by using a different color or shade).

Events window 750 may display information in the form of indicators 752and 754 identifying actions or events (e.g., recordings or reminders)scheduled for the day represented by cell 710 highlighted by the cursor.Indicators 752 and 754 may include the program title, a shortdescription, broadcast time and channel, an indicator that indicates tothe user whether the program is an episode of a series scheduled forrecording and any other suitable information. Indicators 752 and 754 mayinclude a visual identifier 756 (e.g., an image, picture or video)representing the asset for which the action or event is scheduled. Forexample, identifier 756 may be a preview clip, album cover image, themeimage associated with the asset.

In some implementations, the user may navigate the cursor to eventswindow 750 to select a particular event indicator 752 or 754 shown inevents window 750. In particular, the user may select a particular eventlisted to make modifications (e.g., change a recording time or remindertime) or cancel the action or event altogether. In some implementations,part of the events listed in events window 750 may not be modified andmay be blocked based on parental control settings. The parental controlsettings prevents another user with different or insufficient accessrights from canceling or modifying a particular action or event.Different event indicators may be selected by navigating the cursorusing the directional arrow keys (e.g., left/right keys) and pressing aSELECT key on the user input device.

To navigate the cursor from cells 710 representing time periods, theuser may press a directional arrow key (e.g., an up arrow key). Controlcircuitry 304 may navigate the cursor to the first event indicator 752shown in window 750 when the user presses the up arrow key on the userinput device while the cursor is on one of cells 710. A return option740 may be provided in display 700. Selection of return option 740 mayinstruct control circuitry 304 to display the previous screen from whichthe user was navigated prior to the hopscotch display. For example,control circuitry 304 may navigate the user back to grid 102 where theuser left off or may tune the user back to the previously watchedchannel or show.

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative display 900 of event modification inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. In particular, display900 shows the cursor 930 positioned over one of the event indicatorsshown in event window 750. When the user selects a particular eventindicator, control circuitry 304 may display an event prompt window 910.Event prompt window 910 may include options that allow the user tomodify the event or action scheduled for the asset corresponding to theselected event indicator. In particular, event window 910 may includeoptions allowing the user to cancel a recording scheduled for the asset,schedule a recording for the asset (when one was not previouslyscheduled), cancel a reminder scheduled for the asset, schedule areminder for the asset (when one was not previously scheduled), modifyreminder settings (e.g., changing how long before the start of the assetto provide the reminder), and request detailed information about theasset.

In some implementations, the user may press a dedicated key on the userinput device (e.g., an INFO key) while the cursor is positioned over anevent indicator. When control circuitry 304 receives the user input ofthe INFO key while the cursor is positioned over the event indicator,control circuitry 304 may retrieve from memory detailed informationabout the asset for which the action or event is scheduled. The detailedinformation may be displayed in place of window 910.

Selection of the cancel option 920 may instruct control circuitry 304 todisregard any selections made in window 910 and return the user to eventwindow 750 for selection of an event indicator.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram 1000 for navigating a media guidanceapplication in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. At step1010, a first plurality of program listings corresponding to a firsttime period are displayed. For example, control circuitry 304 maydisplay on grid 102 a first plurality of program listings 104 (FIG. 1a). Similarly, control circuitry 304 may display a first program listing524 simultaneously with (or overlaid on top of) video 510 (FIG. 5).

At step 1020, a user request to change the time period being displayedis received. For example, control circuitry 304 may receive a userselection of hopscotch option 140 or 530 (FIG. 1 or 5). In someimplementations, control circuitry 304 may receive a user inputinstructing control circuitry 304 to display program listings for a timeperiod adjacent to the displayed time period through a selection ofoption 120 and/or a dedicated button on a remote control (e.g.,directional arrow key).

At step 1030, a determination is made as to whether the user request isa selection of a hopscotch option. When the user request is a selectionof a hopscotch option, the process proceeds to step 1060, otherwise theprocess proceeds to step 1040.

At step 1040, a determination is made as to whether the user request isa shift to next/previous adjacent time period. When the user request isa shift to next/previous adjacent time period, the process proceeds tostep 1050, otherwise the process proceeds to step 1042.

At step 1042, an action corresponding to the user request is performed.For example, when the user request is a select command, controlcircuitry 304 may access the program (e.g., by tuning to the channel)corresponding to a highlighted program listing.

At step 1050, a determination is made as to whether the instructioncorresponding to the user request has been received a predeterminednumber of times. When the user request has been received a predeterminednumber of times, the process proceeds to step 1052, otherwise theprocess proceeds to step 1060. For example, control circuitry 304 maycount the number of times the user instructed control circuitry 304 todisplay program listings for an adjacent time period. When the same oridentical instruction (e.g., to display program listings for an adjacenttime period) is received a predetermined number of times (e.g., 3times), control circuitry 304 may proceed to step 1052.

At step 1052, program listings corresponding to the next/previousadjacent time period are displayed. For example, control circuitry 304may display program listings for the time period of 10 PM-12 AM (FIG. 1b) which is adjacent to the previously displayed time period of 7 PM-9PM (FIG. 1 a).

At step 1060, a plurality of consecutive alternate time periods aredisplayed in place of a portion of the displayed program listings. Forexample, control circuitry 304 may slide into the display hopscotchdisplay 540, 600 or 700 (FIG. 5, 6 or 7).

At step 1070, a user selection of one of the displayed alternate timeperiods is received.

At step 1080, a second plurality of program listings corresponding tothe selected one of the alternate time periods are displayed.

It should be understood that the above steps of the flow diagram of FIG.10 may be executed or performed in any order or sequence not limited tothe order and sequence shown and described in the figure. Also, some ofthe above steps of the flow diagram of FIG. 10 may be executed orperformed substantially simultaneously where appropriate or in parallelto reduce latency and processing times.

The above described embodiments of the present disclosure are presentedfor purposes of illustration and not of limitation, and the presentdisclosure is limited only by the claims which follow.

1. A method for navigating about an interactive media guidanceapplication, the method comprising: receiving a user request to displaya plurality of program listings corresponding to a user selected timeperiod; in response to receiving the user request, displaying a firstplurality of indicators representing a first plurality of time periods;as the user navigates from a first of the first plurality of indicatorsto a second of the first plurality of indicators, displaying a secondplurality of indicators representing a second plurality of time periods,wherein each of the second plurality of time periods is a subset of thefirst plurality of time periods; receiving a user selection of one ofthe displayed second plurality of indicators; and displaying theplurality of program listings corresponding to the time periodrepresented by the selected one of the second plurality of indicators.2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: displaying a secondplurality of program listings corresponding to a second time perioddifferent from the user selected time period; wherein receiving the userrequest comprises receiving a user selection of an icon displayed withthe another plurality of program listings.
 3. The method of claim 1wherein receiving the user request comprises receiving a plurality ofidentical user instructions a predetermined number of times, whereineach of the plurality of identical user instructions causes the mediaguidance application to shift a time period for which program listingsare displayed to another adjacent time period.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the first plurality of indicators include a first plurality ofcells each representing a different day of a week.
 5. The method ofclaim 4 further comprising: receiving a first user input selecting oneof the first plurality of cells; and in response to receiving the firstuser input, displaying the second plurality of indicators, wherein thesecond plurality of time periods each represents a time period of theday represented by the selected one of the first plurality of cells. 6.The method of claim 5, wherein the first user input comprises navigatinga highlight region to the one of the first plurality of cells andmaintaining the highlight region over the one of the first plurality ofcells for a predetermined time period.
 7. The method of claim 5 furthercomprising displaying an indicator with a portion of the displayedsecond plurality of cells to indicate that the time periods representedby the portion of the displayed second plurality of cells correspond totime periods previous to a current time.
 8. The method of claim 7wherein the time period represented by each of the second plurality ofindicators has an a identical length, wherein the identical lengthcorresponds to an interval of time for which program listings aresimultaneously displayed.
 9. The method of claim 4 further comprising:receiving a first user input selecting one of the first plurality ofcells; retrieving from a memory actions scheduled for the dayrepresented by the selected one of the first plurality of cells; anddisplaying, with the first plurality of indicators, an action indicatorfor each scheduled action that is retrieved from the memory, wherein theaction indicator includes information that identifies a program forwhich the action is scheduled.
 10. The method of claim 9 furthercomprising receiving a user selection of one of the displayed actionindicators to modify the scheduled action corresponding to the selectedone of the displayed action indicators.
 11. A system for navigatingabout an interactive media guidance application, the system comprising:a display screen; and processing circuitry configured to: receive a userrequest to display a plurality of program listings corresponding to auser selected time period; in response to receiving the user request,display on the display screen a first plurality of indicatorsrepresenting a first plurality of time periods; as the user navigatesfrom a first of the first plurality of indicators to a second of thefirst plurality of indicators, display on the display screen a secondplurality of indicators representing a second plurality of time periods,wherein each of the second plurality of time periods is a subset of thefirst plurality of time periods; receive a user selection of one of thedisplayed second plurality of indicators; and display on the displayscreen the plurality of program listings corresponding to the timeperiod represented by the selected one of the second plurality ofindicators.
 12. The system of claim 11 wherein the processing circuitryis further configured to: display on the display screen a secondplurality of program listings corresponding to a second time perioddifferent from the user selected time period; and receive as the userrequest a user selection of an icon displayed with the another pluralityof program listings.
 13. The system of claim 11 wherein the processingcircuitry is further configured to receive as the user request aplurality of identical user instructions a predetermined number oftimes, wherein each of the plurality of identical user instructionscauses the media guidance application to shift a time period for whichprogram listings are displayed to another adjacent time period.
 14. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the first plurality of indicators include afirst plurality of cells each representing a different day of a week.15. The system of claim 14 wherein the processing circuitry is furtherconfigured to: receive a first user input selecting one of the firstplurality of cells; and in response to receiving the first user input,display on the display screen the second plurality of indicators,wherein the second plurality of time periods each represents a timeperiod of the day represented by the selected one of the first pluralityof cells.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing circuitryis further configured to navigate a highlight region to the one of thefirst plurality of cells and maintain the highlight region over the oneof the first plurality of cells for a predetermined time period.
 17. Thesystem of claim 15 wherein the processing circuitry is furtherconfigured to display on the display screen an indicator with a portionof the displayed second plurality of cells to indicate that the timeperiods represented by the portion of the displayed second plurality ofcells correspond to time periods previous to a current time.
 18. Thesystem of claim 17 wherein the time period represented by each of thesecond plurality of indicators has an a identical length, wherein theidentical length corresponds to an interval of time for which programlistings are simultaneously displayed.
 19. The system of claim 14wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: receive afirst user input selecting one of the first plurality of cells; retrievefrom a memory actions scheduled for the day represented by the selectedone of the first plurality of cells; and display on the display screen,with the first plurality of indicators, an action indicator for eachscheduled action that is retrieved from the memory, wherein the actionindicator includes information that identifies a program for which theaction is scheduled.
 20. The system of claim 19 wherein the processingcircuitry is further configured to receive a user selection of one ofthe displayed action indicators to modify the scheduled actioncorresponding to the selected one of the displayed action indicators.21-30. (canceled)